Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Press X To Board Enemy Vehicle
I just beat the Prophet of Regret to death with my bare hands, and I feel good about it.
Monday, November 22, 2004
I Heart BBC Worldservice
Our local NPR affiliate runs the BBC Worldservice late at night, and I am consistently impressed by the quality of their broadcasts. I'm not saying that American news companies don't amaze, but they seem to do it with much less frequency.
The other evening, they had a segment with some very interesting views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. It seems that, shortly before his death, Arafat spoke with Mahatma Ghandi's grandson, Rajmohan Ghandi, and was apparently impressed enough to invite Ghandi to speak before the joint houses of the Palestinian Parliament. The BBC invited Rajmohan to talk about what he said, and he was advocating a non-violent end to that conflict. He pointed out that non-violence is not pacifism, nor is it simply turning the other cheek, but an active and dynamic approach to solving conflict. He mentioned that there are 50,000 Palestinian refugees living in Aman, and one demonstration could be to march those men, women and children back to their former homes. Is the Israeli army going to kill 50,000 innocent people? Probably not.
Rajmohan stressed that a non-violent solution is practical and necessary, as Palestine cannot win the war otherwise. Israel has the numbers, the army, the resources and backing of the US and other powerful countries. What's more, the bombings and other actions that the Palestinian people are using are being labeled, at least in western media, as terrorist attacks, so they're losing the moral battle as well.
Also, when discussing the differences between Judaism and Islam, Ghandi said that spirituality, in this day, has been reduced to ritual. People think that going to mass once a week or praying five times or twenty times a day makes you a spiritual person, when this is simply not the case. He pointed out that all religious texts in the world are based on themes of love, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding, and that we need to return to these themes.
What blew me away about the broadcast, was that after Mr. Ghandi left, they had on two other experts, to offer something of a counterpoint, from the Israeli and Palestinian points of view. They pointed out that it's very easy for someone to fly in from New York, shake their finger at Arafat and say, "You should stop this," when their not living in the refugee camps, or witnessing the suicide bombings at the Pizza Hut down the block from your house.
They echoed Rajmohan's sentiment that we don't need to reconcile the religions. Religion does not cause wars; religion finds reasons to justify war. One of the guests described Islam and Judaism as "practical religions. You don't start a fight, but if you are attacked, you defend yourself." One problem with this whole mess is that both Israel and Palestine feel they are the victim.
The BBC reporter asked if maybe that religion was more a cause of things then they suspected, as there are many religious leaders on both sides of the fence that advocate and endorse violence. Someone pointed out that people seem to have this notion that the spiritual leaders, call them scholars of Rabbis or Imams, are somehow removed from their culture and able to make completely objective statements. This is not true. They are in the thick of the culture, and they live with the hurt, and rage and the sorrow just as much as the every-man on the street. Just because your local preacher says something, does not mean that he or she is speaking from some high vantage point and can remove themselves from the situation at hand.
Also, they were not convinced that non-violence would work in this situation. One of the reasons non-violence worked so well in India, was that the British soldiers were not the sort of to kill a bunch of people sitting in the streets. There were those that advocated a Jewish non-violent response to Nazi aggression. That would have been a disaster, as the Nazis would have been content to run them over with a panzer.
It was an awesome, thought provoking segment, and it illustrated how complex this situation really is. The current hostilities began at the end of WWII, and the roots of it all go back thousands of years. I would be surprised to see a final solution, other than one side utterly annihilating the other, in my life time. But we hope and try anyway.
The other evening, they had a segment with some very interesting views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. It seems that, shortly before his death, Arafat spoke with Mahatma Ghandi's grandson, Rajmohan Ghandi, and was apparently impressed enough to invite Ghandi to speak before the joint houses of the Palestinian Parliament. The BBC invited Rajmohan to talk about what he said, and he was advocating a non-violent end to that conflict. He pointed out that non-violence is not pacifism, nor is it simply turning the other cheek, but an active and dynamic approach to solving conflict. He mentioned that there are 50,000 Palestinian refugees living in Aman, and one demonstration could be to march those men, women and children back to their former homes. Is the Israeli army going to kill 50,000 innocent people? Probably not.
Rajmohan stressed that a non-violent solution is practical and necessary, as Palestine cannot win the war otherwise. Israel has the numbers, the army, the resources and backing of the US and other powerful countries. What's more, the bombings and other actions that the Palestinian people are using are being labeled, at least in western media, as terrorist attacks, so they're losing the moral battle as well.
Also, when discussing the differences between Judaism and Islam, Ghandi said that spirituality, in this day, has been reduced to ritual. People think that going to mass once a week or praying five times or twenty times a day makes you a spiritual person, when this is simply not the case. He pointed out that all religious texts in the world are based on themes of love, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding, and that we need to return to these themes.
What blew me away about the broadcast, was that after Mr. Ghandi left, they had on two other experts, to offer something of a counterpoint, from the Israeli and Palestinian points of view. They pointed out that it's very easy for someone to fly in from New York, shake their finger at Arafat and say, "You should stop this," when their not living in the refugee camps, or witnessing the suicide bombings at the Pizza Hut down the block from your house.
They echoed Rajmohan's sentiment that we don't need to reconcile the religions. Religion does not cause wars; religion finds reasons to justify war. One of the guests described Islam and Judaism as "practical religions. You don't start a fight, but if you are attacked, you defend yourself." One problem with this whole mess is that both Israel and Palestine feel they are the victim.
The BBC reporter asked if maybe that religion was more a cause of things then they suspected, as there are many religious leaders on both sides of the fence that advocate and endorse violence. Someone pointed out that people seem to have this notion that the spiritual leaders, call them scholars of Rabbis or Imams, are somehow removed from their culture and able to make completely objective statements. This is not true. They are in the thick of the culture, and they live with the hurt, and rage and the sorrow just as much as the every-man on the street. Just because your local preacher says something, does not mean that he or she is speaking from some high vantage point and can remove themselves from the situation at hand.
Also, they were not convinced that non-violence would work in this situation. One of the reasons non-violence worked so well in India, was that the British soldiers were not the sort of to kill a bunch of people sitting in the streets. There were those that advocated a Jewish non-violent response to Nazi aggression. That would have been a disaster, as the Nazis would have been content to run them over with a panzer.
It was an awesome, thought provoking segment, and it illustrated how complex this situation really is. The current hostilities began at the end of WWII, and the roots of it all go back thousands of years. I would be surprised to see a final solution, other than one side utterly annihilating the other, in my life time. But we hope and try anyway.
An Intellectual Preganany
Nomi is about three months along now, and we have what I call an 'intellectual pregnancy'. You see, Nomi doesn't look pregnant at all. She doesn't feel particularly pregnant, and the only way we know she's pregnant it the ultrasounds and the fact that we haven't had to visit the feminine hygiene aisle since August.
Which is not to say we aren't experiencing the effects of pregnancy. It's manifesting itself in much weirder ways, mostly her sense of smell. Her sense of smell has become highly sensitive. Without warning, she will catch a whiff of something, and it will make her nauseous. This has caused some problems, as often what causes her discomfort is me. I'll want to come up and kiss her, but the scent of my freshly brushed teeth will nearly cause her vomit. I'll climb into bed and she'll need me to keep my distance, less she lose her lunch in the sack.
I try to be the caring, sensitive husband she needs, but I admit it hard to be understanding when she says things like, "Please don't touch me," or, "I need you back off; your breath is making me nauseous." I know she's pregnant, but sometimes I don't understand she's pregnant, if that distinction means anything to you.
Which is not to say we aren't experiencing the effects of pregnancy. It's manifesting itself in much weirder ways, mostly her sense of smell. Her sense of smell has become highly sensitive. Without warning, she will catch a whiff of something, and it will make her nauseous. This has caused some problems, as often what causes her discomfort is me. I'll want to come up and kiss her, but the scent of my freshly brushed teeth will nearly cause her vomit. I'll climb into bed and she'll need me to keep my distance, less she lose her lunch in the sack.
I try to be the caring, sensitive husband she needs, but I admit it hard to be understanding when she says things like, "Please don't touch me," or, "I need you back off; your breath is making me nauseous." I know she's pregnant, but sometimes I don't understand she's pregnant, if that distinction means anything to you.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Geeks Are Amassing!
So, yes, I waited in line, in the cold, for an hour and a half to get my copy of Halo 2.
No, I haven't played it yet.
I'm still working on Fable.
It's an interesting thing, waiting in line with 500 or so people who love the games as much, possibly more than you. The most interesting thing about it was the diversity of the line. It used to be a midnight release of any video game attracted only hardest of hardcore. That night, there was a reasonable cross-section of America was represented, but it still skewed toward the Uber Geeks. My favorite people were the 10 and 13 year old kids, pouring out of minivans to stand in line while their parents waited in the car.
At one point, someone drove by and shouted "Halo sucks!" Some of us gave chase, but, being who we are, were quickly out of breath and returned to the line, wheezing and gasping.
The Red Bull truck also made an appearance, trolling for addicts and offering their liquid crack to one and all. The young man in line behind me took one, but only because it was free. He said that he really can't stand the stuff. I told it was much better when cut with vodka, a drink that I like to call a Red Bullshevick. (Please let me know if you got that joke, and if you found it funny.)
No, I haven't played it yet.
I'm still working on Fable.
It's an interesting thing, waiting in line with 500 or so people who love the games as much, possibly more than you. The most interesting thing about it was the diversity of the line. It used to be a midnight release of any video game attracted only hardest of hardcore. That night, there was a reasonable cross-section of America was represented, but it still skewed toward the Uber Geeks. My favorite people were the 10 and 13 year old kids, pouring out of minivans to stand in line while their parents waited in the car.
At one point, someone drove by and shouted "Halo sucks!" Some of us gave chase, but, being who we are, were quickly out of breath and returned to the line, wheezing and gasping.
The Red Bull truck also made an appearance, trolling for addicts and offering their liquid crack to one and all. The young man in line behind me took one, but only because it was free. He said that he really can't stand the stuff. I told it was much better when cut with vodka, a drink that I like to call a Red Bullshevick. (Please let me know if you got that joke, and if you found it funny.)
Monday, November 01, 2004
Up From Slavery!
There are innumerable people, groups, activists and political parties urging everyone to vote tomorrow. I would like to be one of those people, but why should you listen to me? You shouldn't. But you should listen to Thomas Paine. Who's Thomas Paine you ask? Well that civics lesson starts here
"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case."
-- Thomas Paine 1737-1809
"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case."
-- Thomas Paine 1737-1809
Kid Strollers: More Than Meets The Eye!
Went to Babies "R" Us the other day and marveled at all the things we didn't know we needed. I was impressed by the wide variety of locks, gates and monitors you buy. You can positively booby trap your house, from a toddler's point of view. They even have baby monitors that come with wireless video so you can see what kid's doing when they're being too quiet. I suggested investing heavily in these kinds of devices, for two reasons. First, if our (the wife and I) own childhood's are any example, the kid will be into everything the moment it learns how to crawl, and second, to develop any latent ninja abilities it may have. If you want you children to grow up to become superspies, you have to start early and I figured that picking the locks on hallway gates is a good place to start.
Equally impressive are car seats and strollers, especially car seat/strollers. One model in particular reminded me of some kind of transformer for respectable adults/infant assault vehicle. There was a "shuttle" of a sort that you strapped the baby into. The shuttle could be locked into a base unit in the car or the stroller. It also had a retractable handle so it could be carried like a basket. When the kid outgrew the car seat, the stroller had a more conventional seat so you could continue to use it. All in all, very cleverly designed, and, I think, intended to appeal to the gadget lover in every man.
Equally impressive are car seats and strollers, especially car seat/strollers. One model in particular reminded me of some kind of transformer for respectable adults/infant assault vehicle. There was a "shuttle" of a sort that you strapped the baby into. The shuttle could be locked into a base unit in the car or the stroller. It also had a retractable handle so it could be carried like a basket. When the kid outgrew the car seat, the stroller had a more conventional seat so you could continue to use it. All in all, very cleverly designed, and, I think, intended to appeal to the gadget lover in every man.
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